If it's as bad as some of you are making out, we probably need to write off the rest of the season...

Why? Andy doesn't have the same problems on grass and hard. Clay aggravates the problem. He's been clear about that from the start.

I'll say it again. We don't know exactly what the injury is. Maybe we will learn more on Wednesday if Andy chooses to say. He's entitled not to.

We don't know what treatment he has had, at the end of last year, this year or ever. Maybe he's had treatment, maybe not. Maybe he's had something done and it hasn't worked. Maybe, just maybe, and this is undoubtedly worst scene scenario, surgery will be the only permanent solution. We don't know, probably because Andy doesn't.

I realise that, Alis, which make me even more surprised that Andy didn't get the problem properly treated at the end of last season as he initially said he would. He must surely have known what was in store come this year's clay-court season.

You don't know he didn't have treatment. He didn't have surgery or anything invasive, but he may have seen experts and based on how his back was at the time, and how he'd been feeling, they may have recommended he stick to non-invasive treatments, such as physio and yoga/pilates, combined with a well managed season.

It seems obvious now that it is the playing on clay aggravates the problem, whereas last year everyone just assumed that he picked up an injury (it got worse), and it happened to be during the clay season.

It was all very well taking the pain-killing injections last year, and they worked to a certain extent, but it is true that they just mask the problem. Sometimes, they can mask the problem for long enough for the body to heal itself, and lets you get on with doing whatever it is you want to do. In this case, it's now obvious that the problem isn't just going away, and using pain masking techniques is a risky business, with the potential to make things much worse. At the very least, it makes it harder to work out which approaches might be improve the underlying problem.

If skipping RG means Andy can do without the injections, then it's probably worth it for his long-term health. I know people are saying he's got points to defend there, but whether he plays or not, he's losing them. He's missing out on the chance to earn new points, but if he's not fully fit, he's not going to win many anyway. Why risk Wimbledon for that? Why risk the American hardcourt Masters, where he's got a great chance of picking up points. Rogers Cup + Cincinnati combined have just as many points on offer as RG, and he's won both of them before (twice).

IMO, it's irrelevant if fans are speculating wildly about what's wrong with Andy. I don't see why he needs to say more than he's already said. It doesn't make sense to go into details, because unless he can completely fix the problem, it's always going to be a bit of a weakness, so why explain that weakness to your opposition? If they know the details of the problem, and can work out that makes certain moves more difficult, you can bet they'll move him around the court accordingly.

You don't know he didn't have treatment. He didn't have surgery or anything invasive, but he may have seen experts and based on how his back was at the time, and how he'd been feeling, they may have recommended he stick to non-invasive treatments, such as physio and yoga/pilates, combined with a well managed season.

It seems obvious now that it is the playing on clay aggravates the problem, whereas last year everyone just assumed that he picked up an injury (it got worse), and it happened to be during the clay season.

It was all very well taking the pain-killing injections last year, and they worked to a certain extent, but it is true that they just mask the problem. Sometimes, they can mask the problem for long enough for the body to heal itself, and lets you get on with doing whatever it is you want to do. In this case, it's now obvious that the problem isn't just going away, and using pain masking techniques is a risky business, with the potential to make things much worse. At the very least, it makes it harder to work out which approaches might be improve the underlying problem.

If skipping RG means Andy can do without the injections, then it's probably worth it for his long-term health. I know people are saying he's got points to defend there, but whether he plays or not, he's losing them. He's missing out on the chance to earn new points, but if he's not fully fit, he's not going to win many anyway. Why risk Wimbledon for that? Why risk the American hardcourt Masters, where he's got a great chance of picking up points. Rogers Cup + Cincinnati combined have just as many points on offer as RG, and he's won both of them before (twice).

IMO, it's irrelevant if fans are speculating wildly about what's wrong with Andy. I don't see why he needs to say more than he's already said. It doesn't make sense to go into details, because unless he can completely fix the problem, it's always going to be a bit of a weakness, so why explain that weakness to your opposition? If they know the details of the problem, and can work out that makes certain moves more difficult, you can bet they'll move him around the court accordingly.

I think in Andy's current state its unlikley he will win RG:-1- Clay aggrevates back injury-- he'll be in pain2 -Little match practice on clay this year still no top 10 win3- Rafael Nadal

You don't know he didn't have treatment. He didn't have surgery or anything invasive, but he may have seen experts and based on how his back was at the time, and how he'd been feeling, they may have recommended he stick to non-invasive treatments, such as physio and yoga/pilates, combined with a well managed season.

It seems obvious now that it is the playing on clay aggravates the problem, whereas last year everyone just assumed that he picked up an injury (it got worse), and it happened to be during the clay season.

It was all very well taking the pain-killing injections last year, and they worked to a certain extent, but it is true that they just mask the problem. Sometimes, they can mask the problem for long enough for the body to heal itself, and lets you get on with doing whatever it is you want to do. In this case, it's now obvious that the problem isn't just going away, and using pain masking techniques is a risky business, with the potential to make things much worse. At the very least, it makes it harder to work out which approaches might be improve the underlying problem.

If skipping RG means Andy can do without the injections, then it's probably worth it for his long-term health. I know people are saying he's got points to defend there, but whether he plays or not, he's losing them. He's missing out on the chance to earn new points, but if he's not fully fit, he's not going to win many anyway. Why risk Wimbledon for that? Why risk the American hardcourt Masters, where he's got a great chance of picking up points. Rogers Cup + Cincinnati combined have just as many points on offer as RG, and he's won both of them before (twice).

IMO, it's irrelevant if fans are speculating wildly about what's wrong with Andy. I don't see why he needs to say more than he's already said. It doesn't make sense to go into details, because unless he can completely fix the problem, it's always going to be a bit of a weakness, so why explain that weakness to your opposition? If they know the details of the problem, and can work out that makes certain moves more difficult, you can bet they'll move him around the court accordingly.

It's a shame if he is 'at it'. And if he is, then his victories must be a little hollow.

Oh I don't think that bothers him Elly! We all know Nadal's not above a little 'gamesmanship' and he just wants to win by any means, be they fair or foul! Andy could teach him a thing or two about honour!

I for one, would feel much happier if Andy stayed away from RG and tried to sort out his back problem without resorting to injections. We all know steroids can be lifesavers in certain situations, but they come at a price and must be treated with respect. Massive doses of steroids can do 'irreversible' damage to the body, that may not become obvious for a while, but when it does, it can affect the bones and leave a person in pain for the rest of their lives. That for me, is too high a price to pay for playing a few tennis matches! I've seen this happen to two members of my family, so Andy.....if you read this, take note and don't let it happen to you!

We are not in possession of the all if any of the facts so we cannot compare this problem to any we have experience of. Only Andy, his team and medics know what the problem is. I am sure they will give him the best advice possible and then it is up to him.. Andy is highly intelligent and so I expect him to make a good decision.

I am afraid that it is always difficult to make someting as the best decision, when it has to do with a medical situation. Not playing RS seems to be the more certain decision. On the other hand, in that case AM will have may be a lack of recent match expierence for the grass court tournaments. Every decision has advantages and disadvantages and may be afterwarts you know if you decited right. So I wish the team a lot of knowledge to decide! agree with everyone who says that we have no knowledge at all to give advice.... .(For me, I saw a part of the SF from the olympics, what a great match, looks like a totally different Andy -and a Murray shouting audience!-, nice to move to the hard courts again!)

I for one, would feel much happier if Andy stayed away from RG and tried to sort out his back problem without resorting to injections. We all know steroids can be lifesavers in certain situations, but they come at a price and must be treated with respect. Massive doses of steroids can do 'irreversible' damage to the body, that may not become obvious for a while, but when it does, it can affect the bones and leave a person in pain for the rest of their lives. That for me, is too high a price to pay for playing a few tennis matches! I've seen this happen to two members of my family, so Andy.....if you read this, take note and don't let it happen to you!

All these comments are very interesting and teach me a lot about what sufferers of this condition have to endure. However we have no option but to wait for Andy to tell us what he's decided to do. When I first started following his progress I hoped for two things that he would win a slam and reach a higher ranking than any other British tennis player before him He has achieved both these goals So if he withdraws from tennis altogether for a while I shall be disappointed but understanding His longterm health is of paramount importance and nothing else matters

Andy should go ahead with Roland Garros, because if he is to achieve anything on clay (a career title or even winning the French Open) then he is going to have to get used to the condition, unless of course he undergoes surgery which in turn could rule him out for half of the season anyway. If it means he plays more conservative tennis to win matches then so be it, but if he gets surgery, what are the chances of the problem being fixed terminally, without even a niggle to disrupt him? Andy may never be perfect on clay, but with him considering missing a Slam over a back injury he gets on one surface a year then he is never going to get off first base in the development of his clay game in my opinion.